Zophar's Indictment of Job

Chapter 20 is where we are this evening, let's bow for a word of prayer together. Father, thank you for today and the chance we have to study the Word. You are such a great God and we are blessed to be able to spend a brief moment in the Scriptures to understand those things you have for us. Lord, we realize that the things that you have said in your Word speak to us every day and that because it's a living Word, it's something that is always applicable, no matter what year we live, no matter what culture we are from, the Word of God speaks to all of us.

And it's so great to know that when we read it and when we study it and when we memorize it, we're able to understand what your Word is for us at that time. And so, Lord, I just pray that you'd open our hearts and minds tonight to see the things out of your law that will enable us to see you for who you are and what you've done. Thank you for those who are here. We thank you, Lord, that they were here safely and pray that their time would be rich for them as they hear your Word this evening. In Jesus' name, amen.

Job chapter 20, and as you're turning there, you have to ask yourself the question, the question is, why is it we spend all this time reading over all these conversations between Job and his friends? Why is it we just don't skip over all this? Why do we spend all this time week after week after week listening to what Job's friends say? When in all reality, when we get to the end, God's going to say very clearly that the friends did not represent me. They did not speak for me. In fact, they misrepresented me tremendously, Job 42, verse number 7.

So if that's the case, why spend all this time looking at this conversation where God's being misrepresented? Why would we do that? Well, the Bible tells us that all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable. There's just not certain books that are inspired. It's all inspired. It's all God-breathed. Every single word is breathed into existence by God. So when we study the Bible, we are studying what God has said. So the Bible says that every word of God is pure, every word of God is true.

We take that at face value and realize that everything that God has said is absolutely true. So there's no portion of Scripture that's irrelevant to our lives. We think it is because we're reading it and saying, you know what, I'm not sure that applies to me at this time, or I'm not sure that's really where I'm at, you know, and so I don't see how that really relates to me, but it does. It all does. And that's very, very important to understand because people will read the book of Leviticus and say, I don't understand all these rituals and ceremonies, and that doesn't apply to me, but it's all about holiness, right?

The book of Leviticus is about holiness, and so everybody used to be holy as God is holy. So yeah, we study the book of Leviticus because God wants us to be holy like He's holy. And yet when you read the conversations that Job has with his so-called friends, it can be very monotonous. It can be very repetitive. It can be very insulting. So why do we do it? Well, if every word of God is inspired, and all that inspired word of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction of righteousness, that the man of God will be thoroughly furnished, equipped for all good works, right?

There's something here that's going to equip me. There's something here that's profitable for me. So what is it that's going to profit me by studying the book of Job and the conversations that Job is having? That's very important. And so as we study tonight, for instance, you can talk about the brevity of life for the wicked. That will be point number one.

Or you can talk about the temporary pleasure for the wicked. That's point number two. Or you can talk about the certainty of judgment upon the wicked. That's point number three.

And all that would be applicable. Life is brief, doesn't last very long. Pleasures are temporary in this life. They come and go. And then there is a certainty that judgment is going to come upon the wicked. So you can learn about those things, especially when it comes to sharing your faith with those who live wicked lives and they need to know of the certainty of judgment. But it goes way beyond that because you have to understand what's exactly happening in the conversations. So let me introduce it to you this way.

The greatest destructive force in the church is the tongue, our speech, our conversation. It has always been the most destructive force. In fact, the tongue is like a sword that's driven into the side of people's lives. And it just drives deep into the heart and soul of people and causes great damage. Especially when what is said is not true. And what Job's friends are saying is not true. In fact, they are giving false accusations against Job. Now, that's very important because we need to understand that in our day and age because we need to realize that false accusations are very destructive to people in the church.

But here's Job, right? He's suffering greatly. And what is being said to him just isn't true. So they falsely accuse the innocent man. They falsely accuse the greatest man on the planet. They falsely accuse the blameless, upright, God-fearing man. And they will stop at nothing for him to see it their way. Now, when you think about that, think about the people in the Bible that were falsely accused. Let's think of Joseph, right? Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, went off to Egypt, and served in Potiphar's house.

But one day, Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph. And so she wanted Joseph to lie with her. And he would not. So she grabbed his cloak and he ran. And she falsely accused him of something that wasn't true. And Joseph went to prison. She wanted something from Joseph, and she didn't get it. And because she didn't get what she wanted, she falsely accused him. He went to prison. Or how about Moses, Israel's greatest leader, right? The great emancipator, Moses. At age 80, right? At age 80, the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and told him, Hey, you're going to deliver my people to Israel.

I'm coming down to deliver them, and you're going to be the deliverer. And sure enough, he did. He took them out after those 10 plagues. He led them out of Egyptian bondage into the wilderness. And guess what? Israel was so upset that they falsely accused Israel's greatest leader for bringing them out of bondage just so they could die in the wilderness. That wasn't true. But they accused him of that falsely. That wasn't his motive, not at all. But here was Moses, Israel's greatest leader, falsely accused by the nation.

Here was Joseph. Nothing in the scriptures is said bad about Joseph. At all. He's a great type of Christ in the Old Testament. Falsely accused. Went to prison. Didn't do anything. How about David, King David? Remember at 17 years of age, he slew the giant. And the song began to ring all throughout Israel, right? Saul has slayed his thousands, but David is ten thousands. And all of a sudden, Saul became jealous, angry. So what did he do? He falsely accused David of wanting to steal his throne. And for the next 12 years, David was a fugitive.

David was on the run because King Saul falsely accused him. He lied about it. So you have Joseph and Potiphar's wife. She wanted something so bad, when she didn't get it, she was angry. So what did she do? She falsely accused Joseph. And then you have Moses, great leader of Israel. And all of a sudden, the people are not getting what they want. And when they don't get what they want, what do they do? They turn on the leader and they falsely accuse him. Here's King David, not the king yet. This is a 17-year-old kid.

But he's accused of wanting to steal the throne, even though that's not his purposes, simply because Saul didn't want to lose the throne. And he was a jealous man. And so jealousy is seen by falsely accusing those who are a threat to you. And the list goes on. How about Nehemiah? Nehemiah was sent by God to help rebuild the walls around the city of Jerusalem after their Babylonian captivity. But he was falsely accused of wanting to be the next king of Israel, which was so far from the truth, but he was falsely accused.

And then you move on, look at Peter and John. They were falsely accused of preaching a false Christ when they were preaching the true Christ. And because they were falsely accused, they were beaten and imprisoned. Then, of course, you have the great apostle Paul. Upon his conversion, he was falsely accused of not being a true convert, but a phony. And was later accused of bringing dissension among the Jewish nation. And was accused by Governor Festus of being insane, all false accusations. None of them were true.

But yet, he was lied about. How about the Christ? Right? He was falsely accused. He was born illegitimately. That was an accusation. Not true. Or how about the fact that he cast out demons by Beelzebul? In other words, the things that he did, he did because he was possessed by Satan. False accusation. He was accused of being a drunkard because he was associated with sinners. Not true. And upon his trial, there are many false accusations set against him that put him on a tree. He hung there and died for your sins and mine.

And what does Christ say before any of that ever took place? He said these words in Matthew chapter five on that first sermon on the mount there on the northern slopes of the Sea of Galilee.

He said these words, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you falsely, say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You live the beatitude kind of life. You're a peacemaker. And you're the kind of person who mourns over the sin. And as a part of the kingdom of God, people will persecute you. For righteousness sake, they'll falsely accuse you. But Christ says, be of good cheer.

You're a part of good company. So they persecuted the prophets who were before you. In fact, he could have said, and so they persecuted the greatest man on the planet, Job, falsely, because they did. What would possess these men to falsely accuse Job? What would possess these men to lie about what's happening with Job? Because that's what they're doing. They're not speaking the truth. That's why the Lord invites them at the end. And that's why at the very end, they have to offer sacrifices. They have to repent because they sinned against God and sinned against Job.

And they think they're coming to give comfort to Job. And they're coming with the right motive and the right purpose. And here they are to sit with him and to weep with him and to pray with him. Although the Bible records no prayer with him or for him by them. But here they are. Do you know why? Do you know why they falsely accused him? It's because they hated Job. They hated him. See, that's harsh. How can you say that? I didn't say it. God did. Let me read it to you.

Book of Proverbs 26 verse, verse 24, 26 chapter 24 verse. He who hates disguises it with his lips, but he lays up deceit in his heart. He who is a hater is going to disguise it with his lips. In other words, they're going to say things that you want to hear. But down deep, they hate you because they have deceived their own selves. But listen to this, verse 25. When he speaks graciously, do not believe him. For there are seven abominations in his heart. Now, you can take that as being the perfection of abomination because seven is the number of perfection.

So there's a perfect abomination in the heart. Or you can go back to Proverbs chapter six, right? About the things that God hates. And maybe that's the seven abominations in his heart. But it says, though his hatred covers itself with guile, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. He who digs a pit will fall into it and he rolls a stone. It will come back on him. And that's exactly what happens to Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. They dig a pit for themselves by falsely accusing Job. Next verse, 28.

A lying tongue hates those it crushes. There you go. Why do people lie? They hate you. That's why they lie. You have stopped them from obtaining something that they want. Potiphar's wife, nation of Israel, King David. I mean, Saul with David. Down deep, there is hatred in their hearts because you have kept them from obtaining something they want to obtain. Now, Job's friends would never say that they hated Job. They would say, we don't hate Job. Oh, no, you got it all wrong. You're wrong. We're here because we love Job.

We're here because we admire Job. We're here because we're the comforters of Job. That's why we're here. Really? Then why do you falsely accuse him? Of sin he never committed. Why do you lie about his life? Why? Because the Bible says you hate him.

I don't care what anybody else says. That's irrelevant. What does the Bible say? That's all that matters. The lying tongue hates the soul it crushes. And a flattering mouth works ruin. That's why in the Ten Commandments, God says, thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Can't lie. Can't do that. Over in Proverbs chapter 17, listen to this. Proverbs 17, verse number 4. An evildoer listens to wicked lips. An evildoer listens to wicked lips. And what are these three men doing? They're all sitting around listening to the same conversation, right? And the evildoer listens to wicked lips. A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. In other words, what makes me pay attention? What perks up my ears? The same thing that these three guys, as they sat around Job, they all wanted to hear the same thing.

And as the lies began to envelop around Job's condition, they were thinking about more things they could say about Job, more things that would accuse them. Maybe down deep, they were jealous about how popular Job was. Maybe they were jealous because of the success of Job's family and life. We don't know. But what we do know is that when you falsely accuse someone, when they didn't do anything that was wrong, it's because you hate them in your heart. And you deceive your own self into thinking that you really do love them.

But you don't. You see, we have to go back and say, what does the Bible say? Not how do I feel? What do I think? What my opinion is? All that's irrelevant. Only thing that's relevant is the Scriptures. What does the Bible say? And these men listened, lied, falsely accused Job. That's what makes him the most remarkable man in the Scriptures. Because of how he responds to all this. This is absolutely phenomenal about how Job does all this. Because he's able to endure the emotional abuse, the verbal abuse, the false accusations.

Because he knows his Redeemer lives. He knows one day he'll see him face to face. And he knows in his heart that he has not done anything that he's been accused of. Even though they just berate him. They come at him one after another. They tag team on top of Joe's back. Coming back one after another, one after another, one after another. They just don't want to quit. And they're arrogant. They're prideful. How do we know that? Well look what it says, Job chapter 20. Long introduction to get to where we want to get to.

Verse number one, Then so far the Amathite answered, Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond even because of my inward agitation.

I listen to the reproof which insults me, and the spirit of my understanding makes me answer. What an arrogant fool. He says look, first of all, when you're going to go help somebody, you can't go if you wear your feelings on your sleeve.

Right? You just can't do that. Because they're going to say something that you don't like. They're going to respond to you in a way you don't like. And then you're going to get hurt. And then you're going to hang your head. And then you're going to want to go home. No, these guys don't do that. No, but he's insulted. That somehow they're going to be judged. And they are going to be judged. And God's going to do at the end. But somehow they're insulted. And then he says this. He says, look, he says, the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.

The spirit of my wisdom. I have such wisdom. And I'm compelled now because I'm so wise to answer you. He is the person Paul mentions in Galatians chapter three, six verse number three that says, if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

He thought he was something. But he was nothing. He was so deceived. He was so self-deceived because he really thought he was all that. I have wisdom. And obviously, Job, you don't have any wisdom, but I do. So I am compelled now to answer you, explain to you your situation once again, because obviously you didn't get it the first time I explained it to you.

So I'm going to talk to you, number one, about the brevity of the life of the wicked, because your life is brief.

Then I'm going to talk to you about the temporary pleasure of the life of the wicked. And then we'll talk to you about the certainty of judgment that comes upon the wicked because you are bound in turn, determined to be judged by God. Now, that's not true. But that's what Zophar believes. You see, they can't get Job to agree with them. They're frustrated. They can't get Job to acquiesce to their whims. They can't get Job to admit, yep, I've sinned this great wicked sin. It's caught up to me. The jig is up.

You're right, guys. I am what I am. I'm a sinner and I'm being punished because of that, because none of it's true. But they're going to continue to berate him and come at him any way they possibly can, because they have to convince him that he is wicked and he deserves the judgment of the wicked. So, Zophar says, I'm going to speak to you out of my wisdom. And the first thing he addresses is the brevity of life for the wicked.

He says, verse four, do you know this from of old, from the establishment of man on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the godless is momentary? Job, this is the way it's always been from the very beginning of time. You need to know this, Job. Nothing's ever changed. That the wicked's time of triumph is short and the joy of the godless is momentary. You've had joy, Job, but it's brief. You've had good times, Job, but it's over. That's why you have nothing left, because God is judging you.

Though his loftiness reaches the heavens and his head touches the clouds, speaking of Job, he perishes forever like his refuse or like dung. Those who have seen him will say, where is he? He flies away like a dream and they cannot find him. Even like a vision of the night, he is chased away. The eye which saw him sees him no longer and his place no longer beholds him. His sons favor the poor and his hands give back his wealth. His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it lies down with him in the dust.

In other words, Job, listen, it's over. You're gonna be gone and people gonna say, where's Job? Where'd he go? He's gone. Why? Because the sin somehow of your youthful vigor, somehow when you were young, you did something that was an abomination and it's gonna lie down with you in the dust because your life is short because you're wicked. Now, that's not true. That's a false accusation. That's a lie because wicked people live a long time. Think about it. I know a lot of wicked people that have lived a long time and I know a lot of great godly people that died very, very young, right?

So we know it's not true. So he moves to the second point, which is the temporary pleasure of the wicked.

And we know that pleasure is very temporary. Hebrews 11, 25 speaks about the passing pleasures of sin. So we know that the pleasure of sin never lasts forever. We get that. We understand that. But he's gonna apply that to Job that the temporary pleasure that he has is all over now because you're wicked. First of all, though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue.

Speak about the attraction of sin. You ever had a piece of candy in your mouth that just is so, so good. I love cinnabars, right? And I love the intensity of that cinnamon in your mouth. And I'll suck on those cinnabars, man. And I know I just, I want to chew them, but I try not to because I love cinnabars so much. And I'll put them under my tongue and let it sit there. That sweetness just sit there. Or milk duds, milk duds. Oh man, the chocolate covered caramel. Oh man, it just melts in your mouth.

And just let it sit there for a while, right? It just is so good. What Zophar is saying is he's applying this to evil. And what wicked people do, they love their evil. It's like the candy in the tongue that you just want to keep there. You want to keep the attraction always before you. He says in verse number 13, though he desires it and will not let it go, but holds it in his mouth, yet his food in his stomach is changed to the venom of cobras within him. He swallows riches, but will vomit them up.

God will expel them from his belly. The end result of evil, the end result of sin is loathing. And this is where you're at, Job. You're at the end. And now you are experiencing the loathing of your sin. Oh, it was great while it was around for a while, but it's just temporary pleasure. All the while you were offering sacrifices for your children and all the while you were praying for your children and all the while you were loving on your wife, there was this sin that just melted in your mouth that you were hiding from everybody else.

Again, not true. Falsely accusing Job. Verse 16, he sucks the poison of cobras. The viper's tongue slays him. You're going to die, Job. The wages of sin is death. There is a way with Seamoth writing to a man, but the answer of the ways of death, not life. It's over, Job. You're dying. The temporary pleasure is finished. He does not look at the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and curds.

He returns what he has attained, he cannot swallow it. As to the riches of his trading, he cannot even enjoy them. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor. He has seized a house which he has not built. Not true. He didn't do that. He never oppressed the poor. He never took from somebody a house. In fact, over in chapter 29, these words are said about Job. Verse 12, because I delivered the poor who cried for help and the orphan who had no helper, the blessing of one ready to perish came upon me and I made the widow's heart sing for joy.

Down in verse number 15 of chapter 29, I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy and I investigated the case which I did not know. I mean, he was always giving himself a way to help people. But Zophar says, you know what, Job? You stole people's homes to make yourself rich. Now look, you lost your home. You lost your riches. You lost it all because you're wicked. Again, a false accusation, a lie. And Eliphaz and Bildad are listening to this and this is just fuel for the fire.

This is just fueling their fire as to what they're gonna say next. Why? Because liars love liars, right? They love the destructive words that they say because you can be fueled by that and feed off of that and give more fuel to the fire and that's exactly what they're gonna do as time goes on. And yet Job, so remarkable, so fascinating his responses because he responds with truth because what silence lies? Truth. Truth silences lies. It always does. Truth loves the light. Lies don't like to be exposed.

They like to be hidden away. Truth loves the light. It always wants to be in the light and Job will always expose them to the light because he wants them to know the truth. Very important. So you come down to verse number 20 and he goes from the brevity of the life of the wicked to the temporary pleasure for the wicked to the certainty of judgment, God's judgment upon the wicked. Because he knew no quiet within him, he does not retain anything he desires. That's the wicked man and Job, that's you.

There's no peace within you. There's no tranquility within you. Isaiah 40 tells us there is no peace for the wicked, right? He's just saying you have no peace. You had no peace. You were never at peace, Job, because of your sin and therefore you do not retain anything that you desire. Everything you wanted, you lost. Why? Because of your sin. So nothing remains for him to devour. Therefore his prosperity does not endure. You've lost it all, Job. In the fullness of his plenty, he will be cramped. The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

When he fills his belly, God will send his fierce anger on him and will rain it on him while he is eating. In other words, he is applying this to what happened to Job as he was taking care of things at home and all of a sudden there was one messenger and then another messenger and then another messenger because God was raining his wrath down on Job because of his wickedness. He may flee from the iron weapon but the bronze bow will pierce him. It is drawn forth and comes out of his back where even the glittering point from his gall, terrors come upon him.

Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures. An unfeigned fire will devour him. It will consume the survivor in his tent. The heavens will reveal his iniquities and the earth will rise up against him. There's no escape, Job, because both heaven and earth, everything above and everything below knows of your iniquity, knows you're guilty. The increase of his house will depart. His possessions will flow away in the day of his anger. This is the wicked man's portion from God, even the heritage decreed to him by God.

See, Job, this is all from God. It's all given to you by God. This is a decreed appointment because of your wickedness. And Job will respond as only Job can because he responds with super, super wisdom. That's Job. But this drives us right back to where we were at the very beginning. The tongue is the most destructive force in your family, in your church, right? Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18, verse number 21, whatever has potential for good has the equal but opposite potential for evil.

And so Paul picks up on this, not particularly Job, but picks up on the whole theme of why people falsely accuse and lie. So turn with me to Colossians chapter three.

Paul picks up on this. He says in verse number one, therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Christ is our life, right? When Christ who is our life is revealed, you shall be revealed with Him in glory. So in other words, he says, look, you can't function horizontally unless you are focused vertically. You can't function in the earthly realm unless you're focused on the heavenly realm.

Very important. So he says in verse number five, therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality and purity, passion, evil, desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience. And in them you also once walked when you were living in them, but now also put them all aside. Put them off. And Paul, if you've read the book of Galatians or you've read the book of Colossians, you know that Paul has this putting off and putting on conversation.

It's a word dealing with clothes. And so when a Jew would be baptized, he would strip down to almost nothing and he'd walk down to the mikvah and once he'd come up out of the mikvah, he would be clothed in a white robe, right? All symbolic because the Bible says in the book of Isaiah that we are clothed in robes of righteousness, the garments of God.

Symbolic of how what God does with us when He clothes us with His righteousness, when He saves us from our sin. But there's this putting off and putting on of clothes that exemplify the condition of your heart. So listen to what Paul says. He says this, now you also put them all aside. Now what he does, he's going to build from the inside out. He builds from the inside out the motive behind why people lie. So he says, put them all aside. Number one, anger, anger.

Orge is the word. It's a word that deals with a smoldering resentment on the inside, okay? Because this is where it all begins. There is this resentment. There is this bitterness. There is this smoldering that's going on in the inside. That's what happened to Potiphar's wife. She was so angry and so bitter that she was scorned by Joseph that he would not want to lie with her. She became bitter and angry on the inside as Saul became bitter and angry on the inside, as the nation of Israel became bitter and angry on the inside.

See, that's where it all begins on the inside. Put aside anger, he says. Wrath, wrath is thumos, right? That is the blurting out of what's on the inside. It's the volcanic eruption of the bitterness and the anger that's on the inside, right? It just erupts. And then he says, malice. That's kakia, what deals with all forms of wickedness and evil. Why? Because once you resent someone and you become bitter toward them, right? What happens is that all of a sudden what spills out of the mouth is a volcanic eruption of wrath and all kinds of evil takes place.

He says, slander and abusive speech from your mouth. Slander, slander and gossip are two words used similarly in Scripture, but there's a difference. Gossip, gossip collects secrets and loves to pass them on to others. Slander makes up its own secrets and broadcasts them wherever they do the most harm. That's the difference between slander and gossip. And what happens is because of the anger in the heart and the wrath that's building because of the bitterness that's there, comes this wickedness which leads to slander, false accusations, right?

And then he says, do not lie to one another. Why? Because at the base of every lie is a hatred for the one you're lying to or about. That's why. He builds it from the inside out. From the internal part of a man. That's why he begins the way he does. Because he wants you to be able to deal with this in a proper way. And we can do this because we're believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can do this. You know, he goes on to say this. Do not lie to one another since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him.

Do you understand that there is not an old man that exists within your new man? You know that, right? There are some people believe, well, you have an old man and a new man. The old man's always talking to the new man. And the new man's saying no to the old man. The old man's trying to get the new man to do this. No, no, no. We are not schizophrenic. All right? The old man was what? Crucified. It's dead. That's why you become a new creation. The old man is corrupt. The new man is made righteous in the eyes of God.

See, you are either in Adam or in Christ, who is the second Adam. But you're not in both at the same time. You're either in Adam or you're in Christ. Because if you're in Christ, who is the second Adam, you're no longer in Adam.

There's no old man there. Then why do I have to lay aside these things? Then what's happening? That's because you had the stench of the dead man in you. The stench is still there. The smell is still there. And that's why you got to put off the smell, put off the old garments, put off those things that were governing and controlling your life. And put on that which is honorable. And true and pure and holy and lovely. That's what you got to do. So you have these three friends who are sitting around the ash heap.

Each one fueling the other with false accusations, with slanderous comments, with lies about Job. And they grow with intensity as the conversations go because they got to convince Job that he's wrong. You see, they are so upset that he won't see it their way. That in the depths of their hearts, they are so angry. Why? Because there's a hatred that's there for Job. And they express it by the conversation they use against him. You ever done that? Maybe in the privacy of your home. Maybe kids with their parents.

Parents with their kids. Wives with husbands or husbands with wives. Every one of us in the room has said things that we probably should have never said probably too many times during the years of our marriage, right? Where does all that come from? It comes from the inside of a man for what proceeds from the inside of the man, right, Christ tells us. It's all the slanders, and the gossip, and the anger that's on the inside of a man. It comes from the heart of a man. A heart that's not right with God.

A heart that's not confessed up with God. So how would we handle this individually? What would we do to make sure that we are not involved in hating someone to the degree that I'm willing to spread false accusations about them even to their face, lie to their face about what's going on, to try to convince them that I'm right and they're wrong. Or somebody else that I'm right and they're wrong. How do you not lie to one another? Well, first of all, you got to repent of the sin of lying, right?

You got to repent of the sin of false accusations. You got to repent of the sin of slander. Now, his friends never do this until God compels them to do it at the end. They have to do it at the end because God makes them, right? They don't do it voluntarily. Not until they're confronted by the Lord God of Israel. But we have the opportunity to turn from our sin and repent of our sin. You know what Psalm 51 says, right? Over in Psalm 51, David speaks. Verse number 6, it says, Behold, you desire truth in the innermost being.

David knew he had lied. David lied about Bathsheba, lied about Uriah. Why? Because down deep in his heart there was hatred for Uriah. Why? Because Uriah had something that he wanted. Why do people lie? You have what they want and you are stopping them from getting it. So I will do whatever I can to get you out of the way. And I've got to lie about it, I will. And down deep, he hated Uriah because Uriah had Bathsheba and he didn't. And he wanted Bathsheba. So he says, behold, you desire truth in the innermost being.

And in the hidden part, you will make me no wisdom, purify me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence. Do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. He had no joy. Can't have hatred in your heart and joy at the same time.

And David had no joy. In order to obtain joy, you must confess, repent of your sin. So you repent from the sin of lying and then you have to request that God intervene and help you. Psalm 120, verse number two.

Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. The moment you think that you can do this yourself, well, you're back to square one again. You can't. You must request that the Lord step in and deliver you from a deceitful tongue, from lying lips. But you can only do that once you've repented of your lying lips, your slanderous lips, the tongue that sows discord among the brethren, the false accusations. And then number three, you need to recommit to loving your brother.

You got to recommit to that. And would it be that Zophar and Eliphaz and Bildad would recommit themselves to doing what they came to do in the first place, to mourn with him and to comfort him and to express their love for him.

But as time went on, that was just such a far cry from what was in their hearts. They would say they loved Job. They would say that. If they were here today, you could say, hey, Zophar, do you love Job? Oh, I'm there, aren't I? I'm in the ash heap with him, right? Of course I love him. Ah, but your words say something completely different. Right? The words are the clearest indicator of your spiritual condition more than anything else. What you say tells us what's on the inside. The Bible says in 1 John chapter 3, he who hates his brother is a murderer.

That's pretty strong. He who hates his brother is a murderer and no murderer has eternal life in him. That would help us to rethink how we relate to one another, right? That we are to love one another. We talked about on Sunday morning, let brotherly love continue. Don't let it be a stranger to you. Then you have to rely upon the Spirit of God. Galatians 5 verse number 16. You can't walk in the flesh or you'll fulfill the lust of the flesh. You gotta walk in the Spirit. So you gotta rely upon the Spirit of God.

And then number five, you gotta remember the value that God places on truth. Remember the value that God places on truth. God is a God of truth. And God cares about truth more than anything else. And sometimes we don't value the truth enough. That's why we lie. Because lying gets us what we want immediately. So we lie. Make a false accusation, slander somebody. For a moment, it makes us feel really good on the inside. But as Proverbs 26 says, all you've done is roll the stone away that's gonna roll back up on you or dig a pit that you'll one day be lying in.

And lastly, you gotta rest in God's sovereignty. And this is a joke. You gotta rest in God's sovereignty. Why? Proverbs chapter 16. Proverbs chapter 16 verse number four says this. The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil. That speaks volumes. God made even Potiphar's wife for the day of evil in Joseph's life. God made the nation of Israel in Moses's life. And God made Saul, the wicked person, for the day of evil, for David's life. When people speak all kinds of ill things against you, God is still in control.

He's still running the show. Don't get all bent out of shape about it. Relax. God has made everything and everyone for a purpose. And He's made even the wicked man, the wicked woman for the day of evil. So you can rest in the fact that God is sovereign. And He's ruling over all these things. And this is Job. That's why Job is so the sovereignty of God in the suffering of man. Not just the sovereignty of God in the physical suffering of Joseph, but in the verbal suffering that he faces every day with his three friends.

God is sovereign in that as well. And Job continues to sit, continues to listen. He does not interrupt till the conversation's over. And then he speaks. And when he speaks, he speaks truth. Because truth sheds light on error. And their conversation was filled with error. But like Proverbs 26 says, they have deceived their own hearts into thinking that what they're saying is true. That's because there was so much hatred in their hearts toward Job. And therefore, they slandered him to his face. And I'm sure as others walked by and heard the conversation, they could hear what was going on.

But Job just sat and listened until it was time to respond. And in chapter 21, he'll respond. And we'll cover that next week. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for today and the opportunity you give us to look into your Word. Lord, such good reminders for all of us, Lord, that our lives are governed by truth and speak the truth and live the truth. And pray, Father, that we would not be numbered among those who would speak ill of someone else or slander someone else or think of things that would falsely accuse someone.

May we truly love one another to the point where we would speak the truth. Sometimes the truth is difficult to hear, but it needs to be said. But it needs to be said to the person that needs to hear it. And our prayer, Father, is that we wouldn't be like Zophar or Bildad or Eliphaz. This Word is in the text. I mean, this is profitable for us. We need to learn from this. My prayer is that we would have learned. We would have grown. And we can begin to deal with things from a proper biblical perspective.

None of us, none of us are perfect. None of us are completely and totally and wholly righteous. Lord, we all sin and you are a forgiving God. And we're so grateful for your forgiveness. And Lord, may we be willing to extend forgiveness to those who have slandered us, spoken against us. Even in our own family. Those who have, we've lived with for years who have turned against us. Husband or wife or son or daughter or aunt or uncle. And may we just be a forgiving kind of people knowing, knowing that everything has a purpose.

And you've even created the wicked person for the day of evil. Lord, you're in charge. May we trust you only in Jesus name. Amen.